


ask me (and i'll play)

by dandhelions



Series: just my taste [1]
Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Coffeeshop AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 18:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14983322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dandhelions/pseuds/dandhelions
Summary: the new barista is super cute and byulyi just wants to drink her coffee in peace





	ask me (and i'll play)

Hyejin is right, Byulyi concedes, with a sigh that’s meant to be grudging but even to her own ears sounds more like longing.

It has good reason to be.

The new barista is really, _really_ pretty.

And she's smiling expectantly, waiting for Byulyi’s order, little dimples at the corner of her lips that Byulyi can't look away from.

“I’ll get a cream cheese bagel and a latte.” Byulyi manages to say, much more calmly than she feels, glad she's decided on her order before the barista’s smile stuns her out of coherent thought.

She nods, still beaming, as though tapping in Byulyi’s order is the best thing to happen to her today. Byulyi kinda wants to stand here forever.

“It'll just be a moment!”

They exchange money for a receipt and Byulyi watches her make the coffee, the way she purses her lips slightly as she froths milk and pours it into a cup.

She quickly looks away as the barista turns towards the counter.

This is creepy. Just a little bit creepy. Yeah she’s pretty, but she’s also a total stranger. Staring is rude. Byulyi fiddles with the receipt in her hands, wishing she knew how to fold it into something impressive.

“Here you are.” she slides a tray across the pickup counter, cheery, too bright. Byulyi ducks her head, murmurs a ‘thank you’ before she picks up the tray and scampers away.

“Told you she was cute.”

Hyejin is looking at her with a smirk as she plonks the tray down at their table and Byulyi forgets all about trying to be subtle.

“I want to know her name.” Byulyi declares.

“So ask.” Wheein says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Except it’s _not_ and she can’t just _ask_ a cute barista for her name in front of all the other nameless baristas and expect an answer she’ll remember.

Byulyi frowns, unconvinced, her gaze drifting back to the pretty barista.

“Tell her she makes good coffee.” Hyejin elaborates, licking her lips as she puts down Byulyi’s cup.

Her gaze snaps back to where it matters and she swipes her latte before Hyejin can down it all. Taking a sip, Byulyi contemplates this for a second.

“It _is_ really good. Just the right amount of sweet.”

“Like her. Tell her that.” Wheein grins, and Byulyi pretends to throw her bagel at the girl’s cheeky smile. She shouldn’t have expected any sympathy from the trolls she calls friends.

“No one would use that awful line, let alone fall for it.”

Wheein lifts an eyebrow and pushes her chair back and Byulyi immediately bolts upright, regretting her words immediately. Of _course_ Wheein would. Hyejin laughs, Wheein’s grin widens when Byulyi grabs her arm and pulls her back down, horrified. “I was joking.”

Wheein sits down, smug. “I wasn’t. If she doesn’t throw a drink in your face after that line, keep her.”

She picks up her cup, sucks noisily at the remnants of her drink, more ice than coffee. Rattling the plastic cup, she smiles sweetly at Byulyi.

“Can you get me another mocha, Byul unnie? From the barista as sweet as your coffee?”

“Get me a cupcake too. Blueberry.” Hyejin chimes in. No hope for escape to be found. Byulyi huffs, eyes the only other customer in line, and ignores her friends’ snickers as she stands and walks to the counter.

_Iced mocha. Blueberry cupcake. Iced mocha, blueberry cupcake. Iced mocha-_

“Oh, you’re back! Is everything okay with your order?”

Her long hair is up in a ponytail and her eyes are big, like she’s genuinely worried that Byulyi’s coffee hasn’t Awoken Her Senses and the slogan on their cups is about to be slandered.

It’s hopelessly adorable and Byulyi flounders for words. Anything to get that wide-eyed puppy look away from her immediately.

“Everything’s good!” she says energetically, no slogans will be proven wrong today. “You make really good coffee.”

“Oh! Thank you.” The barista smiles, polite and professional, her shoulders relaxing to hint at relief.

Byulyi nods like a bobblehead, still smitten by those dimples, they’re really cute and it’s not obvious she’s staring, right-

“Can I get you anything else?”

“Ah-” Byulyi nods, she needs to stop nodding, she looks up at the menu instead and Wheein’s orchestrated request pops back into mind. “Yeah, can I get an iced mocha? And a, uh, a blueberry muffin.” she adds quickly, shoving her hands into her hoodie pockets.

The barista smiles wider, amusement twinkling in her eyes, and Byulyi feels a blush heating her cheeks.

“Coming right up!”

Byulyi bites her tongue before she can say something stupid, Wheein’s cheesy, perfectly accurate “make it sweet, just like you” spinning around in her head until her order is served up.

\--

“Does she look like someone to you?” Byulyi asks, restless, she can’t focus on her study notes when the prettiest barista she’s ever seen is just a few metres away.

“Hmm.” Shamelessly Hyejin turns around in her seat to examine the girl and Byulyi hides her face in her hands.

“She looks like she could be a singer. From one of those hundreds of girl groups popping up like pimples around exam time. Which is in a week, by the way, so let me study.”

Byulyi wrinkles her nose but doesn’t argue as Hyejin pushes glasses up her nose and turns back to her books.

“Just ask her name already.” Hyejin mumbles, highlighter poised. “How hard could it be?”

“It’s not that easy-” Byulyi sighs, gives up. Hyejin wouldn’t get it, she’s never the one standing in front of a gorgeous, nerve-wracking smile, surrounded by people, trying to remember drink and snack orders for three.

Asking for her name seems as ridiculous as asking for bank account details, or her mother's maiden name. Or a date.

She stares at her notebook, equations floating in her vision. These crazy thoughts need to go.

“What did I miss?” Wheein arrives, drops into the seat next to Hyejin. She picks up a half empty cup and kisses Hyejin’s cheek before she takes a sip.

“Byul thinks Cute Barista looks like someone we know.” Hyejin says, taking a moment to glance at Wheein with a knowing smile.

Over her cup of coffee, Wheein eyes Byulyi, lifting an eyebrow with a sly look that immediately has Byulyi suspicious. The younger girl whips around in her chair, equally shameless, to stare at the barista, and Byulyi buries her face in her hands again.

“Yeah, she definitely looks like someone I know.” Wheein says, and Byulyi looks up.

“Right? But who?”

“Your future girlfriend.” she quips, can’t hide a giggle when Hyejin bursts into laughter, clapping like a seal, and Byulyi pulls back a fist, ready to fight.

Byulyi hides her face instead when she notices the barista glancing over, attention caught by the commotion. She offers her a weak smile, cheeks burning when the girl catches her gaze and laughs.

Her eyes curve into little half moons and Byulyi kicks Wheein under the table. It’s adorable, and she _really_ doesn’t need delusional girlfriend thoughts a week before finals.

She can't even get a name.

 _Ridiculous_.

\--

“A latte, iced mocha-”

“And espresso, double shot.” Cute Barista finishes, taps in the order with a flourish like she's been waiting forever to say those words.

Surprised, Byulyi nods, a dorky smile stretching over her cheeks, her stomach flipping at the sound of her light voice.

“You got it.”

“Anything else today?” She asks, holding Byulyi’s gaze with a smile. Professional once again. Byulyi deflates a little, she’d just started to get her hopes up with the girl finishing her sentences, like a scene straight out of a drama.

She jangles change in her pockets, still delighted enough to nod. “I’ll get a bagel too.” Byulyi says. The barista smiles, taps it in, prints out her receipt.

There's a new guy working alongside her and Byulyi watches enviously as she teaches him how to use the coffee machine. He makes Hyejin’s espresso first, fumbly, uncertain. Byulyi is already certain it won't taste nearly half as good.

She looks at the barista instead, taking another order, at the way her long hair falls neatly over a dark blue apron. She's wearing Adidas slippers and black stockings and it's funny attire for a barista but somehow she makes it work.

Wow.

Byulyi knows she's got it bad when she thinks slippers and stockings are a cute fashion combo.

The espresso and iced mocha are waiting on the tray when Cute Barista places a hand on New Guy’s shoulder, speaks into his ear, making Byulyi stare with uncontainable envy.

He scurries off to the glass bakery displays with a couple of plates and the barista takes his place at the coffee machine, frothing milk for her latte.

“Sorry for the wait. The milk got a little burnt.” She says conversationally, must've noticed Byulyi watching, as she glances up with an apologetic smile.

“Oh. It's alright.” It's the only thing Byulyi thinks to say for a while, she isn’t expecting her to talk and now she's blanked out. “The wait, I mean. Thanks for that. The coffee. I mean.”

The barista smiles wider and Byulyi ducks her head, folds her receipt until it's a tiny little square and she can't bend the paper any more.

New Guy comes back with her bagel and the barista places her latte on the tray, slides it across the counter.

“Enjoy!”

“Thanks.” Byulyi says, smiling, hoping it’s cute enough to redeem her awkwardness. She’s certain it can’t compare to how Cute Barista smiles so big her nose crinkles and her eyes disappear, like she’s the happiest person in the world to have made a good coffee.

Hyejin complains about her espresso, to Wheein's dismay-

(“it's _coffee_ , of course it's bitter- oh okay, yeah, just take my mocha. Help yourself. Punk. Byul unnie..”

“Go order your own coffee, she's going to think I'm a pig.”

“...fine.”)

-while Byulyi sips her latte and decides it's perfect.

(“Wow, the barista is seriously pretty. Where’s Hyejin?”

“She’s in the bathroom. Right? She’s so pretty...”

“Ask her out already, unnie.”

“Shut up, Wheein.”

“You better, or I’ll do it.”

“No you won’t.”

“Watch me- oh, Hyejin! I got you another espresso. Cute Barista-made. You’re welcome.”)

\--

_Hi, thanks for making such good coffee. What's your name?_

Byulyi rehearses the sentence in her mind until she’s certain she could sleepwalk to the counter and still deliver it perfectly.

Only a couple of days separate them from hell week and the cafe is busier than usual. Bleary eyed students surround her like zombies, seeking caffeine to jolt them back into some semblance of life.

The barista looks tired too, she must’ve been here since eight, and it’s only halfway until her shift ends at two. Byulyi is observant, it’s not creepy that she knows this after barely a week. Not at all.

“Hello!”

The girl brightens visibly and Byulyi swallows, her throat going dry, her palms sweaty. The barista recognises her now and this makes her wants to squeal, but if this backfires it also means she’s never coming back to this cafe. She takes a deep breath, now or never. She can _feel_ Hyejin and Wheein’s eyes burning into her back.

“Hey, uh-”

“Let me guess. Iced mocha, espresso, latte.” she smiles, her eyes twinkling, Byulyi stutters.

“Bingo.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes.” She says before she chickens out and then she stares at the menu, anywhere that isn’t the barista and her smile. Why’s her heart pounding so fast? Be normal, be normal.

Sleepy gazes turn sharp, impatient for their coffee, and Byulyi pushes her hair behind her ear nervously. Please let this work, this is her favourite cafe.

“Can I, um, can I get your name?”

The barista blinks, her lips curving into a little ‘o’ of surprise. Byulyi is frantically wondering how best to brush it off as a joke when the girl smiles warmly, hands her a receipt.

“I’m Kim Yongsun.”

Byulyi breathes out, the receipt in her hand crumples, she starts ripping at one corner to keep her hands busy.

“You make great coffee.”

“So you’ve said.” Her smile is shy now, beyond all possibility it makes her even cuter and Byulyi barely manages to suppress her smile of relief.

Kim Yongsun. Byulyi’s convinced she’s actually an angel.

“Your coffee will be ready in a minute.”

Byulyi nods and moves to the pickup counter, leaning back against it so Yongsun can’t see the goofy smile spreading across her cheeks.

Hyejin sees it. She slaps Wheein’s shoulder and flashes Byulyi two thumbs up. The warmth on her cheeks flames red hot when Wheein whips around, catches her eye and starts victory dancing in her seat.

“Here.”

Her blush far beyond saving, Byulyi turns around, head ducked, and reaches for the coffee tray. She tugs it towards her, but Yongsun doesn’t let go, and she’s forced to look up in surprise.

“What’s your name?” Yongsun asks.

“Ah, I’m Byulyi, Moon Byulyi.” Her heart jumps when Yongsun smiles, wide, cheeks dimpling, she releases the coffee tray but Byulyi is too smitten to take it.

“Okay, Byulyi Moon Byulyi. Enjoy your coffee.”

Her throat catches somewhere between “always” and “okay” but the laugh that follows her garbled reply is worth it.

“Oh my god, you did it.” Wheein squeals, far too enthusiastic, Byulyi has lost control of her smile and lets it sprawl across her cheeks shamelessly.

“Her name’s Kim Yongsun.” She announces, sets down their drinks with triumph. Hyejin nods in approval and reaches for her coffee, pen held between her teeth.

“Finally.” She grins. “Wheein bet you wouldn’t ask.”

“ _Hyejin_ bet she’d run away.”

“I guess we owe each other a coffee.” Hyejin shrugs, taking Wheein’s mocha, laughing when the girl protests loudly against the awfulness of espresso.

Byulyi watches them with a smile, hardly a minute passing before she steals a glance at Yongsun. Her breath catching, a spark of hope like firecrackers in her chest when she catches Yongsun glancing at her too.

—

“What’s that?”

“A receipt.”

“Yeah, but how did you fold it like that?”

Byulyi grins, tossing the receipt onto the table. It’s ridged into a fishtail pattern, like arrows running down the length of the paper. Hyejin picks it up, turning it over in her hands curiously.

“Figure it out.”

Hyejin shoots her a glare. “Finals have _just_ ended and you want me to use my brain again? No thanks. Just tell me.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“You’ll avoid getting strangled, that’s fun.” Hyejin mumbles, distracted, she bends the piece of paper into itself, frowns as she carefully undoes a couple of folds.

“What’s that?” Wheein echoes, dropping into the seat next to Hyejin. She holds out the puzzling receipt and they’re absorbed into figuring it out, folding and twisting the piece of paper, heads close as they murmur to each other.

Byulyi grins, glad for the peace, glances at the clock. She doesn’t have to wait long. Soon the door opens behind her and she resists the urge to turn around. Sure enough, Yongsun walks past them and into the cafe. Her weekend shift is different - twelve to six pm.

“Byul unnie, can you get us another receipt?” Wheein asks distractedly, focused on Hyejin’s fingers gently unfolding the paper. Byulyi waits for Yongsun to come out of the kitchen, waits for her to tie up her hair and sweep a glance across the cafe, pretends not to notice the way her gaze lingers on their table for a moment.

She stands and makes her way to the counter, and she can’t pretend not to see the smile lighting up Yongsun’s face. Her lips tug into a smile of their own accord and she takes a deep breath, places her hands on the counter.

“Hi.”

“Hey! How did your finals go?”

Byulyi blinks, she shouldn’t be surprised, of course Yongsun would’ve seen them studying all week.

“I’m glad they’re over.” She says with a laugh, pushing her hair behind her ears. Hoping no one else will join the queue.

“Aren’t we all.” Yongsun agrees. She isn’t tapping in the order as usual, her fingers fidget where they rest atop the order screen, her attention on Byulyi.

“You’re a student too?”

“Same university.” Yongsun nods towards Wheein, wearing their university baseball jacket, the design on her back on full display as she bends over a flattened receipt on the table.

“Oh! Cool. What do you study?”

Yongsun starts to reply but then straightens up and puts on a smile, polite, glancing at the customer over her shoulder.

“Your usual?” She asks, already tapping in the order. Byulyi shakes her head.

“Can I get a receipt?”

Yongsun stares at her. “Just a receipt?”

“Yeah. Can you do that?” Her cheeks heat up and Yongsun smiles, taps in an order anyway, prints out a receipt. Byulyi glances back and rolls her eyes; Hyejin and Wheein have folded her receipt into something that resembles a boat.

“Latte on me. Here’s your receipt.”

Byulyi smiles gratefully and takes it, starts folding as she waits for her coffee, her gaze lingering on Yongsun. She’s done with the receipt by the time Yongsun slides her latte across the counter.

“Oh, you folded it…”

Byulyi’s proud smile falters, she thought the sculpture was cool but Yongsun seems disappointed, and now she just feels silly. “Yeah?”

“I-“ she points at the receipt and only then does Byulyi notice the words written in blue ink in one corner.

Yongsun’s cheeks are pink, her eyes fixed on the next customer in line, and Byulyi heads back to her table with a fluttering in her chest.

“Byul unnie, how did you do it?”

Wheein holds out her hand for the receipt but Byulyi unfolds it instead, giddy with anticipation.

A number, and a message - _my shift ends at six, want to get dinner?_

“Hyejin!” Wheein squeals, and Byulyi is shocked into remembering she’s in public. “Byul unnie got a number! She’s got a date tonight! Oh my god, miracles really do happen.”

“Shh!” Byulyi blushes, her heart pounding. Hyejin plucks the receipt from her hands and they pore over the receipt for another reason, cheeky smirks meeting her embarrassed gaze.

“Wow, this is no joke.”

“Say you’ll pick her up at the pickup counter.”

Byulyi laughs, it feels like a dream. She glances up and sees Yongsun looking towards her as she hands over another cup of coffee.

Wheein whips around, as does Hyejin, just in time to catch Yongsun’s cheeks split into a wide smile when Byulyi nods.

“She’s really pretty.” Hyejin says, picking up the unfolded receipt with a sigh.

“What, you jealous?” Byulyi grins. “Wheein is really pretty too.”

Wheein turns an uncharacteristic shade of pink, Hyejin splutters wordlessly and Byulyi takes the receipt from her hand.

“Just ask, it’s not that hard.” She teases, loving the way Hyejin’s cheeks turn red and Wheein doesn’t know where to look. No sympathy here after the endless teasing she’d endured all week. Byulyi doesn’t miss the way Wheein peeks at Hyejin through her fingers, the way Hyejin’s embarrassed gaze always finds its way back to Wheein.

She glances at Wheein’s untouched mocha, Hyejin’s barely sipped espresso.

“Does anyone want a coffee?”

“Yes.” They both say immediately. Byulyi laughs, winks in response to the weak glare Hyejin throws her way.

The weekend queues are longer than usual but Yongsun catches her eye often, a little smile on her lips, and she’s happy to take her time. And when Byulyi asks for a hot chocolate “as sweet as you are”, Yongsun cringes and laughs and says “coming right up”.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this back in 2015, inspired by conversations on twitter about a barista who looked like kim yongsun. good times :')


End file.
